Western Australian Exploration

Murchison River Source Expedition

Day 3
Saturday 11 August 2007
Source of the Murchison to Russian Jack’s camp

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We were away at 7.15 a.m., eagerly anticipating locating the source of the Murchison. Using the online GPS and laptop mapping system, we tracked our way to a ridge line and the watershed between the Murchison and the Gascoyne Rivers.

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We climbed to the top of this watershed and located a marker – possibly a survey mark or a mineral exploration marker. After determining that the ridge was indeed the watershed, Phil suggested that we erect a rock cairn at the high point. He claimed that his Italian heritage meant that he had to supervise the work of the toiling artisans. Within half an hour we had constructed a fine rock cairn with a mulga post jutting out the top. The Supervisor was not overly taken with the quality of the finished product. He felt that we wouldn’t have gotten a job with Canning or Forrest. We wrote a note explaining the significance of the site, put it in a jar and positioned in safely inside the cairn.

Hoping that the cairn would be the first of many to be erected on similar trips we christened it ‘WAEDP 1’.

Note.
A few days after we got back to Perth, Jeff advised that he thought that another tributary of the Murchison may be longer than the one we tracked.

Some weeks later Kim was discussing the source of the river with Brett Smith of Carnarvon who was manager of Doolgunna Station in the 1980s. Brett advised that the source of the river was further east than we had determined. As a result of this new information we agreed that on another trip we would go back to the Murchison and re-determine the river’s source.

Our next goal was the manmade rock wall we had been told about. This entailed a trip downriver. For the most part the track was passable; it did however have the usual washouts, dips and deviations. We continued past numerous old tanks and windmills, fence lines, and old diggings. We came across the ruins of a homestead and yards. There was not a lot left. The yards, however, were built of huge posts that remained standing and were in reasonably good condition. Nearby was a gantry used to lifting the carcasses of cattle when they were being butchered.

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Approaching Peak Hill we came across the town cemetery. Many of the graves were without headstones but were outlined with quartz stones. The cemetery had obviously had a recent upgrade but an open gate had left it open to the ruminants of the region.
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The old Peak Hill town site was just down the road. Many ruins are still evident with the best being the Palace Hotel, bakery and the assay office. After an hour of poking around we reluctantly left Peak Hill - there was so much more to see. We headed for Bilyuin Pool and the ruins of the Bilyuin Hotel. Little is left of the hotel except for bits of tin and some rubble.
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Our next stop was the abandoned site of the Mikhaburra mine and battery. There were many collapsed shafts and tunnels in this interesting spot. Continuing on a few kilometres to the west we came across the manmade rock walls we had been told about. It was believed that these rock formations were an Aboriginal site and clearly, if proved correct, would be the largest found in Australia. Once suitably re-energised by a tailgate lunch of sandwiches we set off walking along the parallel walls, Kim walking south and Phil and Jeff walking north.
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After a short trek we met again at the start point and Kim tentatively declared that it was the route of an old railway line. Phil and Jeff weren’t so sure. After retracing the route Kim had taken and finding a rotting rail sleeper and a number of dog spikes we were convinced that the rock walls were the stone ballast that was placed on both sides of a rail formation to protect it from flood damage.
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We presumed that this was the Peak Hill-Meekatharra rail line and posited that the line went back to the site of the old Mikhaburra battery. Jeff and Kim set off along the course of old line to walk to the line. Phil returned to the vehicle with intention of driving to the battery to meet Jeff and Kim when they arrived there.
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After about two hours Phil became anxious about the non-appearance of the two walkers. He returned to the start point, returned again to the battery, drove to the start point for a second time, all the time sounding his horn, before heading to the battery again. By this time Kim and Jeff had determined that the railway line did not go to the battery. Simple time and distance calculations revealed that they must have walked beyond the battery, to the south. They made a left turn and hit the track close to a tank that they recognised. They then walked a kilometre or so to the battery to wait for Phil.
Kim and Jeff saw many more dog spikes on the walk. The railway probably headed to Horseshoe and not Peak Hill. After we met up again we discussed what we had discovered and unanimously agreed that the rock walls are definitely part of a rail formation and that flooding over the years washed away all soil, leaving only two parallel rock walls. Further research by Phil after we returned to Perth revealed that we had come across the Meekatharra-Horshoe 'railway that never was'. It was constructed by the Western Australian Manganese Co Ltd in 1927. It was used once only for a trial shipment to England of 86 tons of high grade manganese. The company was placed into receivership and the railway line dismantled in 1934.			Click on pic to enlarge and see more photographs
Our next destination was the Murchison River via Holden Well. We then followed the river westerly to an old shearing shed and the site of Russian Jack’s Bungalow Hotel.
Click to enlarge			The GPS/computer setup Phil employed made navigation a breeze and excited the interest of both Jeff and Kim. The software is 'OziExplorer'. It requires only a small (CPU/RAM) driving force. A PDA would be almost sufficient but the larger display of a laptop makes for easier viewing. The introduction of airbags in modern vehicles introduces another dimension to the issue of where the display could be mounted. This optimum location in Phil's vehicle is not viable for vehicles fitted with passenger side airbags. A small VDU driven by a laptop located under a seat may be the answer.
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We set up camp in a grassed area on the banks of the Murchison. The sun set to raucous squawk of dozens of little corellas as they flitted from tree to tree to find a perch for the night. As a safety measure Kim burnt off the grass around the campfire but as the ‘firefront’ approached unmanageable proportions Jeff didn’t share the equanimity Kim displayed from his position of comfort, ensconced in a camp chair, enjoying a fine sauvignon blanc. It's all about perspective. A night to be cherished. Under the stars, around a campfire, good company, fine food, a few drinks and lively, intelligent conversation. Given the time of the season the evening chill was late in coming – no jacket required. Total distance travelled - 181 kilometres.
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